I am absolutely blown away by this book, the writing is brilliant and I can feel Hans Christian Anderson's little mermaid peeking through but from an outside perspective, which is such a stunning way to tell this tale and it not being from the mermaids perspective, but from the princes best friend instead. I absolutely adore this book and I cannot wait to buy a physical copy.

This was a really enjoyable story of the Sea Witch from the Little Mermaid tale and how she came to be. It had me hooked from early on and I really enjoyed the characters, I felt so much for them and was surprised by some of the twists and turns within the story. A very good 'backstory' and just what I was hoping for.

This was a bittersweet, wicked book, and I am left in awe at how everything played out. I loved the writing. Sarah Henning has a way with words that will sweep you right into the sea. It's easy to absorb and it will have you hooked right from the beginning, trust me. She paints settings so vividly that I felt as if I was part of their world. And the fact that it was set in Denmark! That was so fresh and I loved the way language was incorporated into it all.

The characters were very likable! There was just so much to them as individuals and friends. I admired Evie for her determination and drive. Her emotions for her friends were so real and raw that nothing prepared me for certain events. She was caring and adventurous, yet she was careful and understanding of noble/royal responsibilities. She knew what others thought of her, accepted them, but never let them get to her. Her friendship with Nik, though not as accepted by everyone, was very I-would-die-for-you, and I loved it. Precious, the both of them. I refuse to give it all away, but Evie is strong in most parts, naive in some. Understandable, given the events that occur, but I thought she was a strong lead.

I loved Anna. I'll say nothing more, except this and that I am a sucker, an absolute sucker, for that trope.

Nik. Please protect Nik with all your hearts, my friends. He is precious and true and deserves only the best.

Iker was, despite his reputation, pretty swoon-worthy, as was his relationship with Evie. But he doesn't make it into my good books because, well, you'll have to find out yourself.

I only wish that Evie had been more sure of her magic. I forgot most of the time that there was magic involved because she was very much all talk, less action about it, though it was all very understandable. This was later redeemed, however, and it breaks my heart still. I also thought the ending was a bit confusing. Probably because there was so much going on and so quickly, too, that I couldn't follow. But going back to read a few pages wasn't so bad. It was worth it. Another thing that irked me was the romance - or a romance. Trying to explain without giving a spoiler is difficult, but there is something I just didn't think worked nor made sense in the latter half of the narrative, and it had me going what the heck.

But that ending! I was blown away. Despite having assumptions on how the plot would progress - it's a loose retelling, after all - things still took me by surprise. It was just...a really good punch to the gut, the kind that would knock you off of your feet. It was great - but I'm afraid that I want more. I really, really want more. It carries similarities to Ursula from The Little Mermaid so it's a little predictable what happens next, but the journey to that point is so breathtaking that I need more. It doesn't help that Hennings' writing is so exquisite! Every page and character was such a dream.

Thank you to Netgalley & Harper Collins UK for an ARC of this new release in exchange for an honest review.
I had been anticipating this book for a while. I love the Little Mermaid and Fairy Tale retellings and it’s always more interesting to read a story from an alternative perspective, in this instance the Sea Witch rather than the Little Mermaid.
Unfortunately this book just didn’t deliver for me. I found it really slow going and I was pushing myself to read it, which is never a good sign. I didn’t feel like the magic was in the story enough and the characters were so one dimensional that I couldn’t find myself caring for any of them. As the book went I on I became more and more disengaged with the plot to the point that when things did start to actually happen I was already saying to myself ‘what’s the point’.
Perhaps I wasn’t the right audience for this book and may suit a much younger reader but I couldn’t find much excitement for this story and that was a big disappointment. Ah well, you can’t like them all!

‘The sea is a fickle witch. She is just as likely to bestow a kiss as to steal the breath from your lips’. This book! Seriously it wasn’t what I was expecting at all and yet I loved it. The storytelling pulled me in and it was such a gripping read. It was so refreshing to have a before the sea witch tale ... one that focused on how she came into being. The love, betrayal, friendship and heartbreak that lead her to her fate.

The Little Mermaid has always been a childhood favourite of mine since I was taken to the cinema to see it so when I read the blurb on this being about the Sea Witch I couldn't not read it.

This book takes you along the journey of Evie a Witch in the small place of Havnestad, where witch craft is forbidden and you are killed on sight. Best friends with Prince Niklas the heir to the throne she is scorned by others as they feel she is using the Prince. Tragedy has brought the two closer together with the loss of there childhood friend Anna four years previously. Anna lost to the sea after a dare between Evie and Anna.

At young Prince Niklas 16th Birthday celebrations all goes wrong when a storm hits and he is taken overboard by the storm. Evie and the Princes Cousin Iker get the boat back safely to Harbour but there is no sign on Niklas. Upon searching the beach Evie finds Niklas along with a Mermaid who upon seeing her returns to the sea. The thing is the Mermaid looks suspiciously like Anna.

A young female the spitting image if Anna and the mermaid appears on the beach one day when Evie is along and calling herself Annemette and stating that she is in Love with Prince Niklas. Evie befriends Annette and together they try and get Niklas to fall in love before the four days have passed so the Annette can stay human forever.

But not all goes to plan.

I was gripped from the prologue, it was different and had you engaged straight away with what was going on. I love how Sarah Henning has created this story to show us how the Sea Witch was created and my thoughts of her has changed! Love is a wonderful but deadly thing and this story shows you how cruel it can be. the only part I didn't like was that of Prince Iker, I thought his role in the story didn't really go and that he was a spoilt and horrid character.

A well written story about how the Sea Witch came about with well written world building and an ending that had you thinking yes I can see why the Sea Witch is the way she is.

A thoroughly enjoyable read that I could not put down until I knew what happened. Does love conquer all? Well you will have to read the book to find out.

Sea Witch is a prequel-cum-retelling of The Little Mermaid but it shakes up the story enough that although there are elements of the original it's different enough to completely stand as its own story.

One of my favourite things about Sea Witch was the world-building. It's set in Denmark, keeping the spirit of original Hans Christian Andersen tale at the forefront. There's lots of depth created by the food they eat and, the festivals they celebrate. Another thing I really really liked was the friendship between the three main characters -- especially in the first three-quarters of the book. There's really great, completely devoted, friendship between Evie and (originally Anna, and then) Annemette. It's nice to see female friendships in books, especially this kind -- where Evie is so desperate to save Anna and puts it ahead of her blossoming romance with Iker. Similarly, it was nice to see a relationship between two opposite-sex characters which didn't seem (at first) to be romantically motivated. For most of the book, Evie and Nik are just friends. They care about one another but they also care about each other's happiness -- and one point Evie mentions valuing Nik's happiness over her own.

There's a twist in Sea Witch, roughly about the three-quarter mark that was brilliant. I never saw it coming, and it took me completely by surprise. It added a whole level of depth to what could have been a fairly predictable story. The only problem I had with this twist wasn't so much for the plot itself, but for the impact it had on the characters. The originality of the friendships just mentioned are kind of ruined by this twist. Instead of a female friendship, it becomes the standard trope of two girls fighting over a boy's attention. And, of course, the male-female friendship becomes "I loved you all along...". But it was a really good twist and it makes Sea Witch really unique. So I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that.

Overall, Sea Witch is an entertaining read -- I got through the whole thing in an afternoon. The plot moves along quickly and the characters are likeable (both Nik and Evie are precious cinnamon rolls). The romance is beautifully tragic, dark and bittersweet. It's always nice to see a story from a villain's point of view, although you could argue that in this particular case Evie isn't really a villain -- there's no descent onto darkness or malice in her misguided actions. Still, it's a good book and it's got a nice twist to distinguish it from all the other mermaid books at the moment.


This review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon and my blog, Foxes and Fairy Tales, on July 23.

I spotted this book on NetGalley and was drawn to it for two reasons:

1.) The cover is gorgeous! It's a little superficial to judge a book by its cover, I know (yet we all do it!), but it really drew me in. I loved the creepy, mysterious vibe to it and had high hopes for a dark story.

2.) From the synopsis, it's obvious that this story is connected to The Little Mermaid and I've really enjoyed a lot of the fairytale retellings that have been released year!

On that note, as you can probably gather from the cover and the synopsis, this story isn't so much a retelling as an Ursula origin story, which I was more than on-board with! I love a good villain story!

My thoughts on this book are a little mixed, so please bear with me as I'm still processing!

The opening chapter was interesting but a little confusing and I wasn't entirely sure I'd be able to get into this book. However, I soon found myself flying through chapters, the pace really picked up and I became heavily invested and intrigued to find out what would happen next.

It was definitely an interesting start to the story. I was invested in the characters, most particularly Evie, her story of hardship and life as an outcast made her character much stronger.

I also really liked Tante Hansa and Annemette; the latter really comes into her own as we near the end of the book and Tante Hansa's no-nonsense approach to life made me an instant fan of hers, especially with this particular quote,

"Don't grant all the prince's requests, darling girl. Men are always asking for more than they should."

🙌🙌🙌🙌

Sadly, I wasn't too keen on the other characters. Iker was predictable from the start and Evie's obsession with him never made sense to me.

Nik is a marginally better character but the 'romance' aspect of this book really threw me off. It felt a bit messy and wishy-washy in places, leading up to a 'surprise' reveal at the end that was quite strange and didn't really make sense to me.

Sadly, just over halfway through the book, whilst I didn't at all lose interest or get bored, I did become more and more frustrated with Evie. She's so naive and at times almost oblivious to what's immediately in front of her and I just found some of the storyline a bit repetitive as she goes back and forth over how she's treated by everyone, her attraction to Iker, and her guilt.

I did push past this and kept reading, which I'm really glad I did because things got decidedly better when a certain 'truth' is finally revealed, which does take the story to a much darker place, and I did enjoy this a lot more.

The epilogue was probably my favourite chapter, although I ultimately felt sad that what I'd hoped at the beginning would be an empowering female novel, ended on a bit of a sour note for me.

Overall, whilst I did enjoy the premise of the story and the backstory it provided, I just felt that the main character lacked a little punch.

Recommended for fans of To Kill A Kingdom, The Language of Thorns and fairytale retellings in general.